Car or table transfer means



March 10, 1931. J. L. DRAKE 1,795,846

CAR OR TABLE TRANSFER MEANS Filed June 27, 1929 gwuwnkoc Patented Mar. 10, 1931 s'rrs.

PATENT OFFICE JOHN L. DRAKE, or TOLEDO, onioQnssrenoe T mennY-ownns-ronn GLASS com- PANY, or romeo, e -tro. iigcouronn'rron or OHIO can on ranrinrizansrnn Means Application filed June 27,

Thisinvention relates to the grinding and polishing of sheet or plate glass or other flat sheets or plates to be surfaced and more especially to an. apparatus for this purpose of.

.5 the so-called continuous type. p I

' Various systems-for the continuous grind-' ing and polishing of plate glass have heretofore been proposed and in practically all of such systems there have been provided a series of cars or tables mounted on wheels and adaptedto be rolled along tracks'in acontinuous train first under a series of grind ing units and then under a series of'polishing units. In the particular arrangement to 5 which the invention is applied, fourparallel tracks are employed, thetwo central tracks being working tracks passing beneath: the grinding and polishing units and the two outside tracks being return tracks for bringing the tables or cars back to their starting vposition on the working tracks.

The present invention has for its primary object the provision of improved meansfor facilitating the handling of the cars or tables and more particularly for the shifting of said cars or tables between the parallel tracksin a manner that the transfer thereof fromone track to another track may be readily and conveniently effected with rapidity and ease of operation. I

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of novel' transfer means of the above character including a plurality of transfer tables at one or both ends of the tracks and each transfer table being adapted to serve one working track and one return tracln Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill become more apparent during'the course of the following description when &0 taken in connection with the accompanying system with which the invention is to be incorporated, 5 and 6 being the working tracks and 7 and 8 the return tracks. Movable 60 along these tracks are a series of cars or tables 192%); Serial No. 374,027.

9, said tables being carried along the workingtracks beneath a series of grinding runners (not shown) andthen beneath a series of polishing runners 10, after which they are transferredto the return tracks 7 and 8 and passed along said tracks to the opposite ends thereof where they are transferredv to the Working track s."

Arranged atone end or both ends of the four parallel tracks 5, 6, 7 and 8 is the transfer means herein provided and which consists essentially of the two transfer tables 11v and 12'. Each transfer table is preferably inthe form of a sector as shown and is pivotally mounted at its smaller or inner end upon a shaft 12. driven from amotor 13 through the intermeshing gears 14 and 15. Each transfer table 11 and 12 also carries a track section 16 adapted, upon swinging movement of the table, to be brought into alignment first with one of the central working tracks 5 or 6 and I then with one of the-outside return tracks 7' or 8. Each transfertableis supported at its outer end upon a plurality of wheels 17 running upon the arcuate guideway 18 and which guideways overlap one'another'as will be clearly apparent. A g

In operatiomthe glass to be surfaced is adaptedto besecured'upon the tops of tables Sat the right hand end of workingtracks 5 and-6 and are then carried along such tracks beneath the grinding and polishing machines to the left hand end thereof, the ears being preferably coupledvtogether to form a continuous train. The. transfer table 11; is adapted tolreceive the cars9 from the working track 6 and'transfer'them to the return track 7 while the transfer table 112 is provided to receive the cars 9 from working track '5 and transfer them to the return track 8. The

cars are then passed in the opposite direction along the return-tracks? and 8 and during such travel, the sheets may be loosened from the cars and when the cars reachthe right hand end of the tracks, the glass may be removed therefrom, turned overand laid upon the tops of empty cars on the working tracks; When the transfer table 11 is in position to receive a car fom the working track 6, the transfer table 12 -will be in, a PQSitiOILtO dis= charge a car onto return track 8. After the car 9 has been received upon transfer table 11 from working track 6, the said transfer table is swung through an are into operative relation with respect to return track 7 as indicated by the broken lines in the drawing so that the car may be removed from said transfer table 11 onto said return track 7. During this operation, the transfer table 12 is swung into operative relation with respect to working traclt 5 to receive one of the cars 9 therefrom, Thus, each transfer table is movable in 'o operative relation with respect totwo alternate tracks. In other words, trans fer table 11 serves tracks 6 and 7 while transfer table 12 serves tracks 5 and 8. \Vhile one transfer table is in position to receive a car from its respective working track, the other transfer table is in position to discharge a car onto its respective return track after which the relative positions of the transfer tables are reversed, the paths of travel of said transfer tables overlapping one another as will be readily understood.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. a

I claim- '1. The combination with a plurality of arallel tracks adapted to carr a series of cars or carriers, of a plurality of transfer tables provided at one end ofsaid tracks for transferring the cars from one track to another track, said transfer tables being so movable that their paths of travel overlap.

2. The combination with a plurality of parallel tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers, of a plurality of transfer tables provided at one end of said tracks for transferring the cars from one track to another track, each transfer table being movable into operative position with alternate tracks so that the paths of travel of said transfer tables overlap one another;

3. The combination with a plurality of parallel tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers, of'a plurality of pivotally mounted transfer tables provided at one end ofsaid tracks for transferring the cars from one track to another track, and means for swinging said transfer tables in overlapping paths to bring them alternately into cooperative relation with one of the two tracks with which each transfer table is'adapted to register.

4. The combination with four parallel tracks including two central tracks andtwo outside tracks adapted to carry aseries of cars or carriers, of a pair of transfer table's provided at one end of said track's} each trans fer table being adapted to register alternate- 1y with one central track and one outside track to transfer the cars from the one to the other.

5. The combination with four parallel tracks including two central tracks and two outside tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers, of a pair of pivotally mounted transfer tables provided at one end of said track's, each transfer table being adapted to swing through an are into registry alternately-with one central track and one outside track to transfer the cars from the one to the other. M

6. The combination with four parallel tracks, including two central tracks and two outside tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers, of a pair of transfer tables provided at one end of said tracks, each transfer table being adapted to register alternately' with one central track and one outside track to transfer the cars from the one to the other,- the paths of travel of said transfer tables overlapping one another.

7 The combination with four parallel tracks, including two central tracks and two outside tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers, of a pair of transfer tables provided at one end of said tracks each trans fer table being adapted to register alternately with an outside track and the central track remote therefrom whereby to transfer the cars from the one to the other.

8. The combination with four parallel tracks including two central tracks and two outside tracks adapted to carry a series of cars or carriers,- of a pair of pivotally mounted transfer tables provided at one end of said tracks, and means for swinging each transfer table through an arc to bring'it alternately into cooperative relation with an outside track and the central track remote therefrom whereby to transfer the cars from the one to the other; i

Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State'of Ohio, this 21st day of June,

JOHN L. DRAKE. 

